Drakengard 3’s soundtrack is being created by Nier composer Keiichi Okabe, and he has explained why he has felt immense pressure in coming up with songs that match the series’ legacy.

Speaking with Famitsu, Okabe added that he felt he had to match the work of original Drakengard composer Nobuyoshi Sano,

He said of this pressure, “I’ve been involved with coming into series midway before, but I think Drakengard’s fans have a lot more of a love, or a pre-made image at least, of the series. That makes it hard to figure out what to create to keep them satisfied.

“I thought at first that there’d be no purpose to rehashing Sano’s work, but there were times when I thought that was what I should do instead, even though I knew it’d just be an inferior copy. So I wanted to avoid that, but I wanted to avoid repeating what I did in Nier as well.”

Okabe explained that he feels his work on Nier has also led fans to expect certain things from his Drakengard 3 composition, and added, “Generally speaking, I have divided the musical style three ways between the stages, the events, and the boss battles, and comparatively speaking, I’m deliberately aiming for a Nier-like feel with the event music.”

So there will be elements of Nier’s soundtrack in there certainly, but coming up with new a new style of composition for Drakengard 3 has led to a game that doesn’t feel much like a Square-Enix release in terms of music at least.

“It’s been a tough production,” Okabe concluded, “but for this game, there’s part of it I’m doing that I’ve never experienced before. Regardless of your musical likes and dislikes, I think part of it will really startle you.”

When asked what startling element he was referring to, Okabe added, “It’d be a spoiler if we told you, but for now let’s just say that we’ve got assorted tricks in the works, including in the musical department.

“The original concept of this title was to make a game that didn’t feel much like a Square Enix title. It’s not a game that will make everybody happy, but it is one that I think people who’re curious about it should watch for upon release.”

Are you looking forward to Drakengard 3, are you glad that key parts of the Nier team are handling the project? Let us know below.